Modern standardization system is a recipe for countries and companies’ competitiveness

How does your organization, which plays a key part in the French standardization system, see the current Russian standardization system?    

The current Russian standardization system has, on one hand, lost its ‘hereditary continuity’ with the GOST system that had existed in the Soviet Union and ensured the country’s participation in international cooperation, including the formation of the ISO, where today Russian is one of the organization’s three official languages, along with English and French. On the other hand, the new approaches to the creation of a new standardization system meant to serve consumers’ interests, meet the requirements of fair, or conscientious, business practices, facilitate international cooperation and destroy all technical barriers are still in their early formative stages. Consequently, the deficiencies in today’s Russian standardization system, lack of its harmonization with the European and global certification standards, accreditation and test systems do not only reduce Russian companies’ competitive capabilities, but also increase their reputational, strategic, financial and operating risks.  

What role, in your opinion, does standardization play in a modern economy?

Standardization plays a very important role. Globalization is a reality, where management of the quality of goods and services, guaranty of their safety for consumers and optimal balance of all the economic, social and ecological factors are impossible without harmonization of the requirements, achievement of consensus on such issues by all the interested parties and establishment of universally comprehensible rules of conduct. These standards are time-tested methods or models of activities, which can be adapted to all national and local specificities. 

“The deficiencies in today’s Russian standardization system and other shortcomings do not only reduce Russian companies’ competitive capabilities, but also increase their operating risks.”

Taking into account the underdevelopment of the post-Soviet GOST system, does your organization see Russia as an area to implement its most advanced international standards?

Yes, we do, because the European Union and Russia are interconnected. France is among the most active European nations, including in the field of standardization. We have many common interests and problems, and cooperation between us is going on in several directions. To overcome the differences in our standardization systems, the European Commission launched a new TASIS project that will harmonize technical regulation, standardization and certification. This project is headed by Norbert Bechtold, an AFNOR representative.

Your organization has lots of experience in realization of the Sustainable Development (SD) concept. How, briefly, could you describe the main idea behind this famous concept?

SD is a modern concept, which envisages the development of a society, state, region, etc., in accordance with today’s needs, while at the same time without undermining the future generations’ capabilities. In other words, the application of the SD concept encourages a prudent use of all kinds of resources, including natural nonrenewable ones, the adoption of socially responsible business principles and the attainment of economic prosperity for companies and government in a long-term perspective.